Cooker and cooler combination collar and connecting coupling



Dec. 26, 1933. A. R. THOMPSON 1,940,777

COOKER AND COOLER COMBINATION COLLAR' AND CONNECTING COUPLING Filed April 18, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 26, 1933. .A. R. THOMPSON 1,940,777

COOKER AND COOLER COMBINATION COLLAR AND CONNECTING COUPLING Filed April 18, 1928 2 Sheets5heet 2 (Q) 1 :r v

Patented Dec. 26, 1933 PATENT OFFICE COOKER A N D C O L E R COIVBINATION' COLLAR AND CONNECTING COUPLING' Albert R. Thompson, San Jose, Calif., assignor to Anderson-Barngrover Mfg. 00., San Jose, Calif., a corporation of California Application April 18, 1928. Serial No. 271,066

6 Claims.

This invention relates to cookers and coolers such as are employed in the canning art for the processing of goods which has been hermetically sealed in containers such, for example, as cans,

and to a combined collar and connecting coupling means for securing the cooler to the cooker.

In the canning art there is employed what is known as a cooker in which goods hermetically sealed in containers, usually cans, are processed and then cooled. In many cases there is employed a cooker within which the cans are subjected to heated gases under pressure. leaving such a cooker are then cooled in what is known in the art as a cooler, which is directly connected with the cooker, and into which the cans are placed immediately on leaving the cooker, cooling being effected in many instances with the cans, or containers, maintained under substantially the same pressure as in the cooker to prevent the breaking or rupturing of the cans or the seals by means of which the bodies of the cans are secured to the covers, or by which the cans are closed. As actually used in the canning art, these cookers are of great length and are extremely heavy and unwieldy, making it necessary that the cookers and coolers be connected together permanently and installed in position permanently so that they will not, and can not, be moved from their positions. As new employed in the art, the cookers and coolers include shells having tracks formed on theirinner periphery through which thecontainers are caused to travel by means of a reel revolved within said shells by means of shafts which extend longitudinally of the cookers and coolers. The shafts are united at their adjacent ends so that the operating reels of the cooker and cooler can be set in adjustment to correctly handle the transferring of the cans from the cooker to the cooler.

It is necessary that the cooker and the cooler be connected together in a manner to require a minimum of spread between said cooker and cooler so as to eflect as rapid a transfer of the cans as is possible, and it is also necessary that the shafts of the cooker and the cooler extend through packing glands at the respective ends of the cooker and cooler to enable the preservation of the heated gases under pressure in the cooker, and the cooler gases under pressure within the cooler.

In order to secure correct operation of the cooker and the cooler, it is necessary that the adiacent ends of the cooker and the cooler be connected together in a permanent manner so that the transferring means by which the cans are The cans 7 transferred from the cooker to the cooler are at all times in proper alignment and adjustment irrespective of the expansion or contraction caused-in the shells and other parts of the cooker and coolerdue to temperature and pressure variations.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a combined collar and connecting coupling adapted for use inconnecting a cooker with a cooler in order that the correct setting may be 65 had of the cooker and cooler to at all times insure proper functioning of the means for transferring the cans or containers from the cooker to the cooler.

Another object of this invention is to provide a combined collar and connecting coupling for connecting a cooker with a cooler so that all thrust is taken up on the adjacent ends of the cooker and cooler to insure correct adjustment of the reels of the cookers and coolers and correct 76 alignment of the reels with the can transferring means.

Another object of this invention is to provide a combined cooker and cooler and means for connecting the cooker with the cooler at the adjacent ends in a manner to insure correct alignment and adjustment of the respective operating and transferring parts of the cooker and the cooler and the cooker and cooler being free to expand or contract in accordance with pressure andv temperature differences at their opposed or free ends.

Another object of this invention is to provide a combined collar and connecting coupling means for connecting a cooker with a cooler in a manner to avoid disturbance of the adjustment of the reel of the cooker endwise relative to the extractor or transferring means, the combined collar and connecting coupling providing means permitting the free access to the packing glands of the cooker and cooler to enable the adjustment of the packing glands or renewal of the packing as required without disturbing a setting of the cooker and cooler.

Another object of this invention is to provide a combined collar and coupling means for connecting the chambers of a heat treating apparatus as used in the canning art, the coupling means providing a housing adapted to take care of the thrust imposed by the actuation of the transferring ,reel of said chamber, and which housing also provides a housing for a packing gland permitting the packing gland to be adjusted on the operating shaft of the chamber without removal of the housing and without in- 110 terfering with the adjustment of said housing to take up the end thrust from said reel.

Other objects and advantages of this invention it is believed will be apparent from the following detailed descriptions of a preferred embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of the combined cooker and cooler as embodied in this invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the combined collar and connecting coupling embodying this invention.

Figure 3'is an end sectional view taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure 2. Figure 4 is an end sectional view taken substantially on the line -;4 of Figure 2.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, 1 indicates a cooker which may be of any suit able or desirable construction as is well understood in the art, and which generally includes a shell within which a track (not shown) is formed and through which track the cans, or containers, are caused to travel by means of a reel secured to the operating shaft 2. A cooler is illustrated at 3, which likewise includes a shell within which a track is formed and through which track the cans are caused to travel by means of a reel secured to the operating shaft 4. Any suitable or desirable form of transferring means, such as is diagrammatically illustrated at 5, may be provided for transferring the cans or containers from the-cooker 1 to the cooler 3.

Many diverse formsof transfer means are provided for transferring the cans from a cooker l to a cooler 3, and their construction and use is well understood in the art so that applicant does not deem it necessary for him to particularly describe and point out the construction or operation of such transfer means. Each of the transfer means employed includes means such as is diagrammatically illustrated at 6 for extracting the cans fromthe cooker 1. I

In order to insure proper functioning of the cooker 1 and cooler 3, it is essential that the shafts 2 and 4 be coupled together so that the operating reelsof the cooker and cooler operate in timed relation and in proper adjustment with the transfer meansfi and extractor 6. The means for connecting the cooker with the cooler embodying this invention are preferably constructed as follows:

A flanged collar '7 is secured to the end of the shaft 2 by means of a key 8 held in position by means of a set screw 9. The flanged collar 7 includes a driving flange 10 which is secured to 'the driven flange 11 on the flanged collar 12 by means of driving pins 13. The flanged collar 12 is secured to the cooler shaft4 by means of a key 14 which is held in position by means of a set screw 15. The driving pins 13 are preferably formed with a reduced portion 16 which passes through bores formed through the driven flange 10 and are held in position by means of nuts 17 screw-threaded to the ends of said pins to clamp the pins 13 with their shoulders 18 engaging the surface of the driven flange 10. The driving pins 13 pass through bores 19 formed at spaced points around the driven flange 11.

In order to permit the driving collars 7 and 12 to be secured to the shafts 2 and 4 with the cooker 1 and the cooler 3 mounted permanently in position, the collars 7 and 12 are split, preferably along a mid-plane to form two half sections which are secured together by means of bolts 20 which are passed through the webs 201 of the collars 7 and 12 respectively.

Any suitable or desirable form of packing gland, such as indicated at 21, may be providedfor packing theshaft 4 where the same passesthrough the shell 22 of the cooler 3. In order to provide a bearing for the shaft 2 at the end of the cooker 1 adjacent the above described coupling means, and also to provide a packing means for packing the shaft 2 where the same passes out of the cooker 1 and to take up the end thrust on the shaft 2 at this point, the following means are preferably provided:

A spider 23, including a bearing hub 24, and radially extending spokes 25, is provided, and the shell of the cooker 1 is secured to the spider 23 at the end of the spokes 25. The head 26 of the cooker 1 is secured to the spider 23 by means of a cap ring 27. The cap ring 2'7 is secured in position by means of cap screws 28. The hub'24 is provided with an enlarged axial cavity into which packing 29 is fll'ted. A'follower 30 isfitted into the cavity in position to engage the packing 29 and hold same in position to pack the shaft 2. Mounted on the shaft 2 is a bearing sleeve 31 which is rigidly secured to the shaft 2 by means of a stud screw 32. Mounted on the sleeve 31 are roller bearings 321. A loosely mounted sleeve 33 encloses the rollers 321.

.The sleeve 33 engages the follower ring 30 at one end and at its opposite end engages the adjustment collar 34. The adjustment collar 34 is secured in position and adjusted longitudinally of the shaft 2 by means of bolts 35 which are passed through the collar 34 and are screw-threaded into the hub 24 of the spider 23 at points spaced around the shaft 2. Formed integral with the collar 7 is a housing 36 which encloses the collar 34 and which is provided with an opening, or openings, 37, through which a wrench may be inserted to adjust the bolts 35. The reel'head 38, upon which the reel is mounted for driving the cans through the track (not shown) of the cooker 1, is secured to the shaft 2 by any suitable or desirable means and a thrust washer '39 is inter-- housing 36 provides a means engaging the plate 2'7 to take up the end thrust imposed against said plate by the rotation of the spiral reel within the chamber of the cooker. The housing 36 is adjusted in position to permit its having this function and the opening 37 permits access to the bolt 35 to adjust the packing gland without removal of the housing 36 from position and without disturbing the adjustment of said housing 36.

Having fully described my invention, it is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the details herein set forth, but my invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination a pair of chambers, each of said chambers including a shell, and a longitudinally extending shaft extending through said shell of means for coupling said shafts including a split collar secured to one of said shafts, a split collar secured to the other of said shafts, means for disengageably connecting said shafts in driven and driving relation, packing means through which the driven shaft extends in passing through the shell, and the driven' shaft collar providing a housing for said packing means.

2. In combination longitudinally disposed shells, shafts extending longitudinally of said shells, heads for said shells, packing glands secured to said heads and surrounding said shafts of collars removably secured to the adjacent ends of said shafts, driving pins secured to one of said collars and engaged in driving relation with the other of said shafts, and one of said collars providing a housing for the packing gland of its shaft.

3. In combination with a plurality of chambers a shaft extending through each chamber, of a combined collar and coupling means for said shafts including a driving member secured to one of said shafts, a driven member secured to the other shaft, means for coupling the driven and driving members, one of said members providing a housing, the housing enclosing an adjustable packing gland packing one of said shafts where the same extends from its chamber, and the housing having an opening permitting access to the packing gland to adjust the same, and also providing means for taking up the thrust imposed upon said last named shaft.

4. In combination with a pair of chambers having revoluble shafts projecting therethrough, coupling means for said shafts including a driving member fixed to one of said shafts and a driven member fixed to the other shaft, means for coupling the driving and driven members, an adjustable packing gland for one of said shafts, and means associated with one of said coupling members adapted to bear against the wall of the chamber adjacent said packing gland for taking up end'thrust of the shaft.

5. In combination with a chamber, a shaft projecting through a wall of the chamber, an adjustable packing gland for said shaft at the discharge end of the chamber, a collar fixed to said shaft outside of said chamber, and means associated with the collar adapted to bear against the wall of the chamber adjacent said packing gland for taking up end thrust of the shaft.

6. In combination, two chambers, a revoluble shaft projecting through each chamber, coupling means for said shafts including a driving member fixed to one of the shafts and a driven member fixed to the other shaft, means for coupling the driving and driven members whereby they are caused to rotate together, an adjustable packing gland for one of said shafts, and means associated with the coupling means adapted to bear against the wall of the chamber adjacent said packing gland for taking up end thrust of the shaft.

ALBERT R. THOMPSON. 

